Uzun Hasan's Wives Founder of Ak Koynlu State(1425-1477)
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27641 Rabeah Fattah Shekh Mohamad/ Elixir Social Studies 75 (2014) 27641-27648 Available online at www.elixirpublishers.com (Elixir International Journal) Social Studies Elixir Social Studies 75 (2014) 27641-27648 Uzun Hasan’s Wives Founder of Ak Koynlu state(1425-1477) Rabeah Fattah Shekh Mohamad Department of History, College of Arts, Salahaddin University, Iraq. ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: At the age of thirty, Uzun Hasan took over Amed (Diyarbakir), the capital city of Ak Received: 13 August 2014; Koynlu state and became the unrivaled ruler. He married his first wife at the age of fifteen; Received in revised form: soon after, he married his second and third wives. His first wife was a Turcoman, the 20 September 2014; second was a Kurd and the third was a Christian. Each of the wives acted in accordance Accepted: 11 October 2014; with the personalities, potentials, personal skills and the wills they possessed. The Turcoman queen or Seljuk Shah could not stand to lead a life away from the Ak Koynlu Keywords palace; thus she established a broad network of relations with the Ak Koynlu dignitaries Ak Koynlu state, and military leaders and also was an influential figure among the Ak Koynlu members. She Uzun Hasan, was so skillful that she could easily gather Ak Koynlu family around herself. After her Seljuk Shah, husband died, her role became even greater. Hasan’s Kurdish wife kept a low profile. Most Ughrlu Mohammed, of her decisions and wills were expressed by her son Ughrlu Mohammed. In Dspina, factMohammed’s personality overshadowed his mother’s personality since she was not Devlet Shah’s daughter. allowed to work within the palace. As for Hasan’s third wife, Dspina, the Christian, it is obvious that she married Hasan to protect Trabzon Empire ruled by her father. Then she started to influence Uzun Hasan to work against the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, she played an active role in building relations between Hasan and the West, particularly the Venetian Republic. © 2014 Elixir All rights reserved. Introduction Koynlu rule which were marked more or less by women Women played a significant role in political life and have characters. actively cooperated and worked with men, especially the women Thus, the present study will introduce Uzun Hasan and his working in the palace. life, his wives’ personalities with main focus on the roles they It is well known that Uzun Hasan, the founder of the Ak played in the political life Ak Koynlu state. Koynlu state, was one of the few brilliant rulers of the 15 th The study relies primarily on sources available on Ak century. He had a strong personality and made appropriate Koynlu and its contemporaries which do not cover the women momentous decisions. Yet, the women in the palace, have also exclusively but the researcher put them together from scattered worked alongside with him to serve their own goals as long as multiple sources. they did not run counter to the general policy line of Hasan. Uzun Hasan’s life and personality The three wives represented the largest percentage of His life Diyarbakir population where Ak Koynlu state developed and Uzun Hasan, the founder of Ak Koynlu state, is the son of became a vast and powerful state with its borders reaching Ali Beg son of OsmanBeg. His grandfather, Osman Beg, known Khurasan in the east and extending to the Euphrates in the west. as Zalo Siyah, managed to gather the Ak Koynlu tribe in a Hence, we find it significant to explore how the women acted in political union based in Diyarbakir following the Tamerlane line with Uzun Hasan and what kind of strategies they employed campaigns in the area (particularly Diyarbakir) at the end of the to work with him and for themselves. 14 th century (1335-1404)( Tehr ānī 1977,1/32,35. Minorsky This study is intended to explore the activities of Hasan’s 1351,A.163-164). His name means Hasan the tall since he was a wives both in his lifetime and after his death. As we have tall man. Both historians working at the Ak Koynlu palace, already mentioned, Hasan’s first wife was a Turcoman, his Abubakir Tehrani and Fazlullah Ruzbah ānAsfahani have called second was Kurdish and his third was a Christian belonging to him Sahibqran(1977,1/7. 1382, 22,93). However, the Italian Trabzon Empire family. Unlike the third, the first two wives travellers and ambassadors have mentioned him as Usun Kasano were Muslims. or Asam bi while Mamluki historian named him Hasan Bag or Importantly, the wives’ identities impacted their activities Hasan Beg (Barbaro N.D, 38,123. Zeno N.D, 5.Ibn Ája 1986 and relations. This fact would help us to perceivr the political ,114.Al- saxawî, N.D,1/112). framework within which they could act. The Ak Koynlu historians have not specified his birthdate; The fact that Seljuk Shah shared the same ethnic and Ghaffari claims that he was born in 1425 (1343,253), Abubakir religious identity with Uzun Hasan gave her more ground to act Tehrani, who was Hasan Uzun’s personal historian did not give more freely in the palace. The other two wives would be forced a date for his birth; rather he indicates that in the battles fought to do more to strike a balance in their relations. between Alexander of Karayousif Karakoynlu Hasan’s Probably, analyzing the women’s roles relative to Hasan grandfather in Diyarbakir, Hasan’s father decides to fight and Ak Koynlu rulers would inform us considerably on the Alexander, who was returning from Costantinople, and sends his incentives behind the major events occurring during the Ak son, who was 11 years old, back to Diyarbakir (1977, 1/114,126-129). Going back 11 years earlier, we would find that Tele: E-mail addresses: [email protected] © 2014 Elixir All rights reserved 27642 Rabeah Fattah Shekh Mohamad/ Elixir Social Studies 75 (2014) 27641-27648 the date given by Ghaffari is near correct (Al-ʿAzz āwi 1936, health deteriorated until he departed life on the eve of January 3/254. Hints 1377, 32.Minorsky1384, B190). In addition, 6th , 1478 when he was only 54 years old. He was buried inside Tehrani has attempted to focus on Hasan’s early age role in the the Nasriyya religious schoolyard in Tabriz. political affairs anticipating his involvement in the political Hasan had seven sons from his three wives, five of whom conflicts of Ak Koynlu. At the beginning, he worked under his were still alive by the time he was passing away. They were: father’s orders. Zaynal, killed in the war between Hasan and Sultan Muhammad During the conflicts among Osman Karayuluk’s sons over Fatih the Ottoman, Ughrlu Mohammad, killed after his rebellion who to take over the Ak Koynlu tribe, Hamza Beg, Hasan’s to elicit more power as well as the other sons who were named uncle, seized the opportunity and captured Amed (Diyarbakir). Khalil, Jacob, Messiah, Joseph and Maksood (Jozafa et al 1381, Then Ali beg, entrusts his son with several missions including 111, 157. Gaffarî 1343,221. Ḥasan Rumlu 1384, 2/805,807. giving Kharput citadel to the Egyptian Sultan in exchange for Wale esfahanî 1379, 721 ). his brothers’ release from prison. His Personality After his father passed away in 1438, Hasan and his elder Uzun Hasan is regarded as the greatest and most powerful brother made great efforts to take over the tribe. When his uncle ruler of Ak Koynlu dynasty. The world historians and Hamza died in 1444, Jihangir became the most powerful figure ambassadors of the day have each written about him from their of the tribe as he was Hamza’s son-in-law. In 1451, Jihangir sent own perspectives, but they have all tended to consider him as a Hasan Uzun with an armed force to curb his uncle, sheikh great politician of the 15 th century AD who managed to transfer Hasan’s rebellion. The battle ended with sheikh Hasan’s death his tribe Ak Koynlu from a nomadic tribe to a vast, enormous and Uzun’s victory. and influential political entity. From a very early age, Hasan Then, Uzun Hasan started launching offensives on the showed political, military and diplomatic skills; his personality Kurdish rulers in Diyarbakir on his own. These offensives ended was marked by justice, consideration to people’s affairs, in the settlement of Ak Koynlu supremacy in his favor following quickness to act when opportunities arise, and decisiveness dismissal of his brother Jihangir from Diyarbakir (Tehr ānī (Fa ḍl All āh 1382, 33. Al – Ghayathî 1975, 391. Al –Qazuynî 1977,1/140-141, 157, 161, 168, 171, 175, 178, 183, 196. Hînts 1314, 358 D āʿirat al-MʿārIf 1991, 1/387). He was a man who 1377 32-33). quickly perceived danger; when he failed to capture Hasankayf This marked the passage of an outstanding political stage in castle, he resorted to a different means do it. For example, in Uzun Hasan’s early life with his consolidation of power in 1461, he promised the castle to his cousins if they capture it and Diyarbakir as an unrivalled ruler and the strongest Ak Koynlu annihilate King Khalaf. His plan was successful, however figure (D āʿirat al-MʿārIf 1991, 1/387). This also encouraged (Tehr ānī 1977, 2/367,393-394. Ibn Taghrî Bardî 1972, 16/273). him to attack the neighboring entities, particularly the Kurdish Hasan acted most diplomatically with the Mamluk state in principalities, which he defeated successfully. Egypt. He would frequently send ambassadors and appeased As Jihanshah of Kara Koynlu headed towards Khurasan in them as he needed their assistance in face of the Ottomans 1467 following the demise of Shahrookh, Uzun Hasan seized which he thought were more dangerous.